Although technology and education in today’s world are merging fast, not every school, teacher, or student can keep up with this pace. Therefore, while selecting the best technology for classroom adoption, it is essential to consider various factors that affect its overall usability and effectiveness based on the prevailing circumstances (Lento, 2017). They include the technology’s purpose and use, associated equipment, accessibility, cost, quality, and time needed to learn it (Eiland & Todd, 2019). Before embracing any tool, a school, teacher, or student representative must do a cost-benefit analysis to ensure that the selected option is appropriate for their needs and is available at reasonable prices (Major et al., 2018; Magana, 2017). It is the rationale with which I have included all the chosen technologies in this infographic. All the options offer quality services affordably without limiting accessibility.
For example, smartphones, tablets, and smartboards are readily available, easily accessible and cost-effective. 3D printing and augmented reality are also retailing at different ranges in the price spectrum, allowing adopters to choose what is best for them. In terms of the technologies that could improve collaborative experience, Google Classroom, Kahoot, Mind Meister, and Flip Grid offer quality services too. Importantly, these technologies do not require expensive infrastructure to operate. For example, schools with internet access and desktops, tablets, or smartphones can use Google Classroom without further infrastructure investments. All they need to do is to ensure that they have fast and reliable internet connectivity. These tools are also easy to learn and use, thus saving teachers and students precious time.
Examples of Technologies That Could Be Used Collaboratively Within a Secondary Educational Environment
Google classroom simplifies creating, distributing, and grading assignments Google Classroom is only available to users with Google Apps for Education (GAFE), a free collaborative suite of tools that includes web tools like Google Docs, Google Drive, Gmail, and more.
Kahoot is a game-based learning platform. It adds vitality, student engagement, and meta-cognitive supports to secondary or higher education classrooms with limited instructor or student training required.
MindMeister is an online mind mapping tool that lets you capture, develop and share ideas visually. It offers a wide variety of export options, enabling individuals to turn maps into Word documents, PDFs, or images.
Flipgrid is a simple, free, and accessible video discussion experience for PreK to PhD educators, learners and families. Teachers post topics to spark the conversation and students respond with short videos leading to an immersive online interaction. Students take a more active role in learning through this piece of technology.
Considerations Regarding the Access and Use of Technology for Learning
Costs, Quality, and Time: The price associated with the use of a given technology plays a major role in influencing the adoption of that technology. Schools often do a cost-benefit analysis before adopting any technology (Eiland & Todd, 2019). The evaluation of a technology’s cost should happen from both the school’s and students’ perspective. Time constraints may limit the use of technology (Major et al., 2018). It falls mainly on the presenter or preceptor as he or she learns the new technology and determines how it can be used appropriately in his or her setting.
Purpose and use: adding technology to an activity or course should have a clear purpose; it should not be added only to say that technology is being used. Second (Eiland & Todd, 2019), it is vital to determine how the teacher and the students will use the technology.
Equipment: Determine equipment needed to run the selected software program for education (Lento, 2017). The device could be one or several desktops, laptops, tablets, or smartphones.
Accessibility: student accessibility may limit use of some technologies. Limitations may be in hardware or software and could result from a student’s lack of prior experience or having special needs. Internet connectivity and capabilities may also limit use of technology in class (Eiland &Todd, 2019).
References
Eiland, L. S., & Todd, T. J. (2019). Considerations When Incorporating Technology Into Classroom and Experiential Teaching. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 24(4), 270-275.
Lento, C. (2017). Incorporating whiteboard voice-over video technology into the accounting curriculum. Issues in Accounting Education, 32(3), 153-168.
Major, L., Warwick, P., Rasmussen, I., Ludvigsen, S., & Cook, V. (2018). Classroom dialogue and digital technologies: A scoping review. Education and Information Technologies, 23(5), 1995-2028.
Magana, S. (2017). Disruptive classroom technologies: A framework for innovation in education. Corwin Press.